This tintype came with no case, frame, or even paper sleeve. This can make detailed dating of tintypes very difficult. The technology spanned a wide range of time, so we most rely on the clothing and settings to give us some clues.
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- Baby's Jacket
- Chair
- Composition
The first reaction to this has to be a laugh. This must be one of the worst baby pictures we've seen - yet at the same time one of the best.
It was very common when shooting babies, that the mother would be hidden by some trickery of blankets, curtains, or something while actually holding onto the baby.
Many times you have to look closely to see where the mother was. Not here! So we give the picture an A+ because of the absurdity.
But at the same time, the baby is very well behaved, didn't move, and is adorable. The quality of the tintype production, and subsequent storage is superb. It is in excellent condition.
So an A+ for this also. We love this picture.
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Estimated Date: 1862 +- 2 Years
Baby's Jacket
Looking closely, you can see the baby's jacket looks like a zouave jacket, popular with Civil War troops and adopted by civilian fashion during the 1860s.
Studio Chair
The chair is a typical late 1850s, early 1860s parlor chair. Prior to 1864, regular chairs were used in photo studios. In about 1864, specialty studio chairs were introduced that allowed for different configurations for different needs.
Composition
It would be pure speculation on our part, but we think that later more experienced photographers would have composed the scene better to hide the mother. But we applaud the photographers efforts just the same.
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